While the initial stages of the NHL playoffs introduced some unexpected participants and delivered notable surprises and upsets across the first two rounds, the field has narrowed.
As the conference finals are set to begin on Tuesday evening, the teams still competing for the prestigious Stanley Cup are a familiar group, consisting of franchises accustomed to deep postseason runs in recent years.
The Western Conference Final pits the Dallas Stars against the Edmonton Oilers, a direct rematch of the same round from last season.
In the Eastern Conference, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have reached the final round for the third consecutive spring. They advanced by defeating Toronto in a decisive Game 7 and will now face the Carolina Hurricanes. This matchup marks the second time in three years that these two teams meet at this critical stage.
Carolina`s Andrei Svechnikov, whose eight goals place him second among all players in the postseason (behind only Mikko Rantanen), shared his perspective: “We’ve already been in a conference final, and we know what’s going to happen there. It’s not going to be easy there.”
Indeed, nothing is straightforward at this phase of the season. However, for one of these four teams, just eight more victories stand between them and lifting the Stanley Cup.
Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers
Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday in Carolina, with puck drop at 8 p.m. ET.
The Panthers initially fell behind the Maple Leafs two games to none in their prior series and couldn`t seal the win on their first attempt. However, they corrected course emphatically on Sunday night, dominating Toronto to secure their spot and set up the highly anticipated rematch of the 2023 East Final.
